1 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:08,080 Something you love to do. I love catching up with family and friends. I love connecting them so if they have like-minded\h\h 2 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:14,160 interests uh really putting them together so that\h they can be successful in whatever those endeavors are. 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:23,280 My name is Ra-Deon Sledge. I am currently the\h chief of staff of NASA Glenn research center. As\h\h 4 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:29,520 chief of staff, I assist the center director and\h her directors - the associate and deputy directors\h- 5 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:36,000 with the general operations and administrative\h support of the center. What you wanted to be when you grew up. I grew up wanting to be\h\h 6 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:41,040 a singer and I did that which was\h great. I was in a girl group from 15\h\h 7 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:49,840 to 19 years old and actually that's what led me\h to NASA. I went to a job fair and I was able to\h\h 8 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:55,760 meet someone that had actually heard me sing and\h they were able to educate me on the offerings of\h\h 9 00:00:55,760 --> 00:01:01,760 NASA. I always thought of engineers and scientists, I\h never, you know, from a computer discipline or even\h\h 10 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:07,760 a business acumen, so learning that that did exist\h in terms of careers at NASA piqued my interest. 11 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:12,640 I think what excites me the most is that\h it changes week to week, it's always\h\h 12 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:18,640 something different from a GRC and or NASA\h perspective I think I'm motivated most by\h\h 13 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:24,560 how what we do inspires and impacts so many lives.\h Our technology not only pushes the boundaries\h\h 14 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:30,720 of innovation in space but it also improves our\h lives here on earth. Most daring thing you've ever done. I remember horseback riding\h\h 15 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:36,080 in Hawaii and I was on this course it was very\h temperamental they told me. His name was Tom Tom\h\h 16 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,360 and if you kicked him too hard on the side\h he would just go off, like you know he was in the\h\h 17 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:47,360 wild wild west or something. And so I would just\h let him do it, and we got to a very steep hill\h\h 18 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:52,480 in the countryside and we were riding up it\h sideways. I almost fell off but it was super\hfun. 19 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:59,200 How to inspire more African-Americans to go after STEM careers. We offer the educational programs but we have\h to bring them to the programs or expose them to\h\h 20 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:04,480 them so that they can get those tools. Just like\h the rudiment of the African diaspora, it takes\h\h 21 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:10,480 a village, so we have to work within our inner\h circles in our contacts to make sure that they're\h\h 22 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:15,440 educated and aware of those opportunities. And\h then I'd also say that we have to teach them to\h\h 23 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:25,634 never take no for an answer. What would you tell your 10-year-old self. I would probably tell\hmyself that you can be anything you want to be, as long as you set your mind to it. 24 00:02:25,667 --> 00:02:30,160 What song you sing at Karaoke. So since\h I'm a singer, I love to joke with people at\h\h 25 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:35,760 karaoke night and I'll pick a hard song, like a\h Whitney Houston song or something like that, and\h\h 26 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,560 I'll sing it completely terrible until like the\h big moment in the song at the end and then I'll\h\h